Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971

This is what you might call a "classy" brochure. I always have, anyway. Mercedes Benz was a far different carmaker 40 years ago than it is today, and after reading this brochure you may possibly agree with my assessment. Take a trip back to a time when German automobiles stood for something a bit more than just "cars". They set a standard, and what's more, they honored their own standards, year after year. That's what took them to the top of the heap. I think they may have forgotten what got them there in recent years, though.
There is a nice little treat for Mercedes Benz afficianados in the last pages. Seldom seen, much appreciated. [IMG]http://**********************/smile/emthup.gif[/IMG]

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Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

You did that just to tease, me didn't ya ?
I really, REALLY want a W108 3.5L 280SE!

“I would request that my body in death be buried not cremated, so that the energy content contained within it gets returned to the earth, so that flora and fauna can dine upon it, just as I have dined upon flora and fauna during my lifetime” - Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Re: (konkomania)

I like how Mercedes refers to them as "motor cars" as opposed to "cars". In Newport Beach, Fletcher Jones Motor Cars MB commercials still go for that upper crust air -- so pretentious.
2,900RPM at 60MPH with the 4.5L V-8 doesn't sound too leisurely to me. IIRC, the 3rd gear on the 3sp had a 1:1 ratio -- no overdrive.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

I love the line on the 280 brochure; all luxury cars appear to be comfortable during a short test drive. Our 280SE feels comfortable after an all-day drive.
A lot of cars sold today still haven't figured this one out

Had to laugh at the "lack off" features list they give.... We don't have vanity mirrors!!! I guess their owners weren't vein.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (Live-Wire)

It's difficult to adequately explain just how much Mercedes Benz automobiles were "a world apart" from all other maker's machines 3 decades ago. Now they're just another anonymous "luxury" car in a nondescript herd of "luxury" cars. But, look at these cars in this catalog, and try to compare them with anyone else's expensive, top-line cars of that time. You just can't compare them. This is what made Mercedes Benz the gold-standard of automobiles...they stood apart from the crowd visually, technically, and dynamically. The company marched to its own beat, and the public gradually recognized this as a real virtue. It made the other carmakers look rather lame and "me-too" in nature. Mercedes Benz had to capitulate in the early 1990s, and adopt the same contemptible me-too-ism in their philosophy as everyone else, though, in order to not be overwhelmed by the Asian competition that had buyers turning away from "stuffy" old Mercedes Benz automobiles by droves. Twenty years later, the conversion is pretty much complete. Mercedes Benz cars are no longer standouts in any way, other than in their somewhat pathetic attempts to differentiate themselves from the competition by stuffing ridiculously high-powered, fuel-slurping powertrains into their largely lookalike cars. This strategy works for awhile, but eventually it reaches its upper limits, and then, where do they go from there? It's sad to see a carmaker that, for 100 years, stood for the concept of "quality built-in", turn into just another carmaker that goes with the more cynical "quality added-on" way of building its products, but that's what has happened to the three-pointed-star cars.

Modified by vwlarry at 9:35 AM 6-21-2009

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Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (DUTCHMANia)

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (J-Tim)

Even as a kid & passenger in the 280 SEL and 300 SEL 6.3, I was amazed at the refinement in those machines back then and their bank vault feel. Since I haven't been in any of the current Caddies I still wonder if America has ever built anything that tight yet? All I know is I was disappointed with the feel of a G37 AWD sedan I drove this year.

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (DUTCHMANia)

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

Mercedes Benz had to capitulate in the early 1990s, and adopt the same contemptible me-too-ism in their philosophy as everyone else, though, in order to not be overwhelmed by the Asian competition that had buyers turning away from "stuffy" old Mercedes Benz automobiles by droves.

I would argue that M-B had become complacent and stagnant. The Japanese luxo brands (and Lexus in particular) showed people that you could have a luxury car without electrical gremlins, reliability issues, or breath taking parts and labour costs.

Originally Posted by 20aeman

No, the real enthusiast vehicle would be the RX8. It combines V12 Lamborghini gas mileage with Hyundai Genesis 4cyl. performance.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971

The root of evil:
Shareholder value over stakeholder value, greedy managers and cost-cutting over satisfied customers and sophistication
happend to A LOT of companies
oh, and I can tell you the exact time when it happend to Mercedes:
when Jürgen Schrempp became CEO in 1995 ( also responsible for the horrible Daimlerchrysler "merger", so he could adjust his salary to american standards and cash the bonus, which was based on what the companies were worth BEFORE the merger. He has a long history of fireing ten thousands of workers, "cost cutting" but raising his own salary, not paying taxes etc.)

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971

I'm very sorry about this mess with these threads. My photobucket account has been open for several years now, with no problems at all, and I received NO WARNING that I was about to commit such a violation that they would expunge EVERYTHING in my account because of it. I'm so angry now I'm spitting .38 caliber rounds.

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

Resurrection time for my archive threads, since Photobucket decided to commute my sentence, and my images are available once again. Cool beans and all that.

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

Take a trip back to a time when German automobiles stood for something a bit more than just "cars". They set a standard, and what's more, they honored their own standards, year after year. That's what took them to the top of the heap. I think they may have forgotten what got them there in recent years, though.

It's useful to keep in mind that buyers' expectations have changed as well. Back then, Benz didn't have many imported luxury cars that could even claim to compete with the company, whereas now, Benz is one of many. The world changed around them, you could say. These days, with everyone living on imagined wealth, getting a high end automobile is not uncommon, and with other manufacturers making sales based on the number of horsepower and gadgets, what is a company like Daimler Benz to do? I don't think they've compromised their standards, per se; I think they're doing what they must to remain competitive. When people view an ES 350 on the same level as a C300, there's only so much adherence to your own standards you can pursue.
Despite all that, they're still doing their part to maintain their reputation for excellence. Right now, for instance, I don't think any manufacturer has a car that can compete with an ABC equipped S-class.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (HerrGolf)

You're very correct in your assessment, except you omit one other factor at work in the changes that have taken place in the past several decades. We are a society and culture that has compromised its standards in certain, very difficult to quantify ways. So, in a way, we have met the carmakers halfway. As Mies van der Rohe so famously said about architecture, "Less is more". It applies to the concept of other things, too. The more "luxury" our culture is showered with, the less it appreciates the true meaning of it. Mercedes Benz for a long time enjoyed a near monopoly on its style of perfectionism as applied to the automobile, it's true. Therefore, it is perhaps valid to ask the question; why did they not compromise then, when they didn't have to maintain such high standards? The only answer is that they were competing, instead of with outside forces, instead with themselves. This concept is what lifted the German automobile industry to such celebration and esteem all over the world for so long, and it is what is almost gone from the scene now. Everybody builds "perfect" cars now, so where is the distinction anymore? I know I'm a fuddy-duddy about this, but it was simply more impressive to witness the stand-apart excellence of a company like Mercedes Benz that is represented in this brochure than it is to slog through the constant wonderfulness of every car that pulls up to a stoplight today. Does that make me a "quality snob"? Perhaps, but I make no apologies. Automobiles today are so universally perfect that they're boring because of it.

Do you enjoy old cars and long-winded stories about them? If your answer is "yes", then you might enjoy my blogpage. Try it here: http://vwlarry.blogspot.com . Leave a comment, too; I love feedback! Thanx for reading.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

We are a society and culture that has compromised its standards in certain, very difficult to quantify ways. So, in a way, we have met the carmakers halfway. As Mies van der Rohe so famously said about architecture, "Less is more". It applies to the concept of other things, too. The more "luxury" our culture is showered with, the less it appreciates the true meaning of it.
Everybody builds "perfect" cars now, so where is the distinction anymore? I know I'm a fuddy-duddy about this, but it was simply more impressive to witness the stand-apart excellence of a company like Mercedes Benz that is represented in this brochure than it is to slog through the constant wonderfulness of every car that pulls up to a stoplight today. Does that make me a "quality snob"? Perhaps, but I make no apologies. Automobiles today are so universally perfect that they're boring because of it.

It's true and it does indeed apply to everything. Every house now has to have a great room and lavish bathroom; every salad has to have goat cheese and candied pecans, every guy on TV is insanely built; every woman on TV is very attractive; every car company has to have a compact RWD sedan, etc. etc. etc. It IS boring, but it's also scary. I'm only 26, and while I can't remember the three-on-the-tree days, it really does seem like I'm living in a world where this privileged lifestyle is nearing its expiration; like we're on borrowed time. This sort of discussion is beyond the purview of TCL, but it's worth touching upon. Cars and other consumer goods are indicative of a society's aspirations and values.
It's just funny for me to think of the days in which a 190E was worth a second glance and now I see E350s all over the place, next to 178" long, 2.5 liter "economy" cars that make it to 60 in less than 8 seconds. True luxury isn't, and shouldn't be, so obvious or accessible.

Re: (Lwize)

I like how Mercedes refers to them as "motor cars" as opposed to "cars". In Newport Beach, Fletcher Jones Motor Cars MB commercials still go for that upper crust air -- so pretentious.
2,900RPM at 60MPH with the 4.5L V-8 doesn't sound too leisurely to me. IIRC, the 3rd gear on the 3sp had a 1:1 ratio -- no overdrive.

Originally Posted by mitch hedberg

My manager was concerned, he said "Mitch, don't use liquor as a crutch." I can't use liquor as a crutch... because a crutch helps me walk. Liquor severely screws up the way I walk.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

I dunno about that assertion. For the most part, the Japanese are the ones that started the crazy and ridiculous horsepower race of the past 7-10 years. The Germans had no choice but to respond in a similar manner, lest they get left behind for making "underpowered" vehicles. As for fuel-slurping, I'll have to disagree there, at least on the 3.0L V6. In my SLK300 I consistently get 20% better mileage than the EPA rating and I can get as high as 32mpg highway.

Re: Brochure Archive - Mercedes Benz, 1971 (vwlarry)

It's sad to see a carmaker that, for 100 years, stood for the concept of "quality built-in", turn into just another carmaker that goes with the more cynical "quality added-on" way of building its products, but that's what has happened to the three-pointed-star cars.

I blame the consumer, Mercedes had to adapt. In this ADD ridden society do you really think there would be enough buyers out for a high quality economy car at current Benz prices? Or enough people that would even read through those brochures and understand them? You are correct in your assertion that automobiles have reached a state of perfection, but that is only spec sheet deep. Automobiles no longer satisfy the way they used to, and once one gets used to the newest gizmo it becomes all but invisible.

I like how Mercedes refers to them as "motor cars" as opposed to "cars". In Newport Beach, Fletcher Jones Motor Cars MB commercials still go for that upper crust air -- so pretentious.
2,900RPM at 60MPH with the 4.5L V-8 doesn't sound too leisurely to me. IIRC, the 3rd gear on the 3sp had a 1:1 ratio -- no overdrive.

Bazooka, do you have more pictures of the red car or a link toa source?